Carpe Diem
by greenikat89
Summary: Zim's been bested time and time again by the Dib, until he tries a different approach to rule the world. He moves away, he has a new identity, and this time his plan won't fail. This time, it will be perfect.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I cannot even begin to touch what JV has created. I just play with his characters and hope he doesn't find out I'm doing it.

A/N: New fandom, go me. This is a high school (or hiskool if you prefer) fic although it's just the setting. Don't be scared off by it. Oh, and light ZADR so turn back now if that's not your bag.

**Edit:** Hmm, well I suppose this is what I get for writing under different names. No, I didn't steal this, you can find the same story on AFF under my other penname obsessive-depressing-love. (Which, as I look back on, is a rather obnoxious penname.) This is/will be more like the kid friendly version for those who are wondering why it's posted on two websites. Hope that's all cleared up.

Warnings: Slight OOC, suggestiveness, light swearing, ZADR, um, Zim's crazy thought process?

* * *

**Prologue**

This time his plan would not fail because he had learned to adapt. Zim had realized that his plan to take over the Earthenoids wasn't working because he didn't blend in. He wasn't 'normal' to the meat bags, and because of that he could not easily manipulate them to bend to his will. Although those disgusting sacks of flesh were stupid and just _begging _to be destroyed, even they noticed there was something wrong with him.

Zim should have realized this. He was an Irken invader. He was a master at blending in, and yet he hadn't. Years passed and with each hideous passage of time he had yet to tell his Tallests that he hadn't taken over just yet, that all he needed was a little more time for them to accept him. The _humiliation_ that he, one of the great Irken elites that had been a leading commander in Impending Doom I, hadn't even taken over the pathetic little city he inhabited rankled the alien like no other.

Time after time the Dib monkey would thwart his ingenious plans and flaunt the failures in his face that the human race had survived another day. His smelly mouth filled with dirty _lies_ as the Dib laughed that he would never amount to anything and that he would always be different. Such, such _emotion_ had swelled throughout his body like the force of radioactive rubber pants at the remark. He _would_ blend in and he _would _conquer the rotting ball of _filth_ and its disgusting meat bags. All he had to do was take more notes, observe the information and create a newer, better disguise.

So he had left, packing up his home base and taking Gir with him to move as far away as possible from the horrific place as possible. He had ended up in a place called 'New York' that had suited his tastes just fine. Here, it was okay to look a little different and no one remarked upon his mannerisms because everyone acted a little crazy. After years, he had a carefully crafted new look, a new name, and a new plan to take over the world.

And this time, it would be perfect.


	2. Hello Again

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own anything.

**Edit:** Hmm, well I suppose this is what I get for writing under different names. No, I didn't steal this, you can find the same story on AFF under my other penname obsessive-depressing-love. (Which, as I look back on, is a rather obnoxious penname.) This is/will be more like the kid friendly version for those who are wondering why it's posted on two websites. Hope that's all cleared up.

Warnings: Mild swearing. Will be ZADR.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Hello Again**

"Gir, I don't have _time_ for this!" Zim yelled, trying to chase after the little robot that was wildly running around the small living room and swinging a pair of pants over his head. His very new, very expensive pants that he had bought with his horrible job at Bloatie's Pizza. It paid well enough and he was good at it, the technology was much less advanced than at Foodcourtia and come of the devices he'd tinkered with as a smeet. Pathetic.

"But I'mma superhero!" Gir yelled, screaming around the tiny apartment and knocking over the meager furniture. "I wanna save the world!"

"Gir, obey your master!" Zim chased after the robot, tripping over the overturned coffee table and sprawling along the stained floor. He growled, spider legs shooting out of his PAK unit as he lunged towards the wayward unit, easily overtaking the robot. He snatched back his pants, retracting his mechanical legs back into his PAK. "Why don't you go watch TV or something?" he spat out, stalking back towards the tiny bedroom to finish changing.

"Okie-dokie!" the robot chirped, doing a black flip onto the pink loveseat and flicking on the TV.

"Even after all my research I still can't make you normal," Zim groused, slamming the bedroom door behind him. The robot's disguise still looked like a tiny green dog, and in an effort to quell suspicious glances whenever he decided to take Gir out, he had claimed it was his robotic dog he'd built. That seemed to go over well enough and now people thought he was a mechanical genius. It explained away all the devices he had to further his studies, and the odd exploding noises that floated up through the apartment building whenever Gir ruined and experiment. Stupid, gullible humans.

Zim sighed as he kicked off his sleeping pants onto the floor where it was picked up by a mechanical hand to be dropped into the laundry shoot. At least he looked the part now as one of those moody teenagers in the public Hi Skool he attended. He had done extensive research on the types of humans, using their own technology against them to gather information on how to blend in with little amount of effort.

He disliked the strange fabrics and colorful tones most of the meat bags wore, preferring to dress in reds and blacks influenced by his Irken invader uniform. His black standard issue pants were traded in for dark baggy jeans with a chain attached to his belt. A dark red, black pinstripe shirt was bought in a similar color to his old uniform, left unbuttoned to display the black shirt underneath with the Irken symbol displayed on the chest in red. Little silver cufflinks with the same symbol buttoned his sleeves, each with a tiny microchip that was useful for recording sounds when lightly clacked together.

Zim smirked, pulling on his black gloves that had been modified to reach a little past his wrists. He still detested direct contact with any surface, but he had had to reduce the size so as not to call attention to his hands. He hadn't been able to do anything about having only three fingers on each hand, but if anyone asked he always said it had been amputated during an accident. He flexed his fingers idly as he tugged on the gloves, making sure his sleeves extended over his wrists so his skin would be covered.

His wig was lying innocently on his dresser, and he carefully picked it up, making sure his antennas lay flat before putting it on. It was a much better looking wig than before, a shaggy cut with long, choppy bangs that fell into his eyes and shorter spikier hair in the back that brush the nape of his neck, although the color was still the same. It contrasted with his pale, nearly translucent pale skin, which placed him in the 'Goth' category. It suited his purposes, and at least he had ears now. They were specially designed and adorned with many small silver hoops and other piercings he'd seen other males have. Each one doubled as a listening device so he could filter conversations and even sound decibels if he wanted to.

He put on his violent colored contacts in the mirror; adjusting his wig one more time before he decided he was ready to go out. His black Irken combat boots were by the door and he tugged them on, it was the only part of his outfit he hadn't changed. Even his PAK had been recolored black to disguise it as a backpack the rest of those humans had.

"Gir, I'm going out!" he yelled above the blaring of the television, his eyes narrowed as the opening credits of the 'Angry Monkey Show' began to play. How he hated that monkey. "Stay here and guard the house!" He heard Gir give an affirmation before he shut the door behind him, locking all seventeen locks with a press from his wristwatch. It was time to go to school.

* * *

"Hello, IZ!" a chorus of girls greeted, batting their eyes and winking at him.

Inwardly Zim smirked at the simpering fools as be barely acknowledged them, his cold, indifferent look in place as he purposely marched up the front steps of school. His new name had been a stroke of luck on Gir's part. He had needed a new name to go with his new identity so he wouldn't be connected, and the robot had suggested 'IZ' to sound more mysterious.

He had scoffed at the idea at first, wondering where the robot had come up with that name before it hit him. Invader Zim. IZ. It was fitting for his new position as a reclusive, but steadily powerful figure in the school. He was regarded with awe and just a touch of fear, he never talked to anyone and acted cold to those he did and yet he was immensely popular. People deferred to his wishes and generally went out of their way so they wouldn't displease him. His little quirks that he hadn't been able to get rid of were actually idolized here. Squeedly spooch was a widely used word now after his one slip up in gym class.

He effortlessly evaded a crowd of laughing teenagers as he walked towards his first class, smirking with satisfaction as the crowd parted for him. His eyes caught a flyer with his name embellished on it in crimson, spidery handwriting on a black background. The very best part of it all was the power he had over the school. He had run for class president, using his newfound speaking skills (when he preferred to use them) to charm over the ignorant crowd with empty promises and honeyed lies. He had become class president, and from there it was only an upward climb into politics until he had become President of the country. From there he would become Dictator and rule all with an iron fist, finally presenting the Tallests with the conquered planet. It was a long plan but he had time, Irkens didn't age as fast as humans.

So lost in thoughts, Zim wasn't watching where he was going and rammed into a person hard enough to send him sprawling to the ground. "What!" he shouted, hand automatically shooting up to make sure his hair was in place. "Who dares to knock into me?"

"Shit!" someone shouted. "My first day of school and already I'm going to be a social outcast."

Zim was roughly pulled to his feet and the alien scowled, shoving away from the person's touch as he straightened his clothes. "Don't touch me," he growled, blinking as a hand was presented in front of his face. He looked up, preparing to glare at the person with a sneer when his eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be!

"Sorry to get off on the wrong foot," the person said as he readjusted the strap on his backpack. "I'm Dib."


	3. Getting to Know You

**Disclaimer: **Nope, I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry to those of you who are confused, yes this story is posted under a different name on AFF. Just thought I'd let you know in case you missed the first two edits. Okay, on with the story.

Warnings: All warnings still apply.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Getting to Know You**

Zim felt his mouth part open in shock, his usually cool expression slack with surprise. What? What was _he _doing here, thousands of miles from where he had left his past behind? His mouth snapped shut as he regained his bearings, eyes narrowed as he looked up at his long forgotten rival.

The boy hadn't changed much, still wearing the same black trench coat and blue, neutral face shirt. His hair was a little longer, although still in a ridiculous looking scythe shape and his round glasses were exchanged for a pair of sleek, black oval ones. What had really changed was the boy's height; he had finally grown into that huge head of his and stood nearly a full head taller than Zim's own height. For some reason that angered the alien and he slapped away the boy's hand.

"I do not care for your name," Zim hissed lowly, eyeing the Dib's alien belt buckle distastefully that held up the boy's pants. Despite all these years, it seemed the human still clung to his para-whatever beliefs. That could prove to be troublesome if the Dib meant to stay in town. "Leave me alone."

He turned around to go, brain already whirring with possible implications of what the Dib could do to his carefully thought out plans when a weight settled on his shoulder. He froze, carefully turning his head to hatefully glare up into brown eyes. How _dare_ the filth touch him. "Did I not make myself clear to you, human?" he growled softly, wanting the Dib to leave him alone lest he was discovered.

Dib was unfazed by the venomous glare directed at him by the piercing violet eyes; his sister was the queen of death glares and the boy's ranked nowhere close to that. "Look, I'm sorry," he apologized hastily, dropping his hand from the narrow shoulder. "I recently moved here and-"

"Stop your noise making," the boy interrupted tersely with a slashing motion of his hand. "I don't have time for you." The last part was said with a sneer that curled the corner of the boy's pale lips up, and Dib wondered what he had done to deserve such a reaction. The boy couldn't have known about his obsession with paranormal phenomena to judge him already.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," Dib said to the retreating back as the boy turned to walk down the hallway.

The boy stopped, a look flittering across the flawless face that was too quick to Dib to decipher, before it was hidden behind a cool mask. "Consider yourself introduced," the boy said acidly.

Before Dib could respond the bell rang for first period and the boy was lost in the crowd. Dib sighed, trying to not get jostled by the crowd as he made his way towards his first class of the day. It wasn't even eight and he had already made an enemy. Figures his life could never be normal.

* * *

Dib was still mulling over the mysterious boy later during his third period of the day. He idly doodled in the margins of his notebook, not paying the least bit attention to his Physics class. He had passed far beyond the basic curriculum even in his advanced placement. When he had been building spy bots and fixing up alien spaceships during his middle school years, nothing being taught in the class was something he hadn't already known.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair at the back of the class while scanning his eyes around the classroom. A girl with blond hair in the front row caught his eye and winked at him with a small giggle but he didn't respond, neutrally staring at the girl until she huffed and turned around. The students here were pathetic and weren't able to hold his interest. None really had ever since Zim had mysteriously disappeared all those years ago.

He hadn't realized until the alien left, how Zim had added purpose to his life. It made going to skool where he was ridiculed by his peers a little more bearable and kept him up at nights planning new machines and traps to prove once and for all Zim was an alien. He had done his best work in his paranormal studies trying to one up the alien, and without that constant challenge he had found he didn't have that same spark to research in the field. His activity in the Swollen Eyeball had dropped considerably within the first week of Zim's disappearance. Dib tried not to look at the implication too closely.

He went back to his pen drawing, adding a space ship in the starry night firing down lasers at a burning town. An alien was laughing manically over the town that looked remarkably like Zim, and unbidden his thoughts turned to the alien. He wondered where the alien had gone, if he was still alive. The place where the pink monstrosity he called a house was gone, the lawn gnomes that had been in the front yard had disappeared. The only evidence that anyone had ever been there was a faint imprint in the brown grass where the house sat and a small metal Irken emblem lying forgotten in the street.

Dib had picked it up upon impulse, pocketing the only thing left behind of his nemesis that had tormented him through his childhood years. He now wore it around his neck that was looped on a chain and tucked safely under his shirt. The cool metal was a comforting light weight against his chest and he hadn't taken it off since that night he'd found it, although he couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was his last link to the only alien he'd ever met. Maybe a symbol of his lost childhood. Or maybe he was just crazy as his former classmates had always insisted.

Pushing away his thoughts, Dib stood up as the bell rang and shoved his notebook back into his backpack. The low chatter of students swirled around him as he pushed through the crowds to his locker. Twirling open his combination and grabbing his paper bag lunch, he made his way towards the cafeteria. His sure footsteps carried him down twisting hallways and empty classrooms to the noisy room where he faltered at the doorway, unsure of where to sit. He had always sat alone at his old school, although sometimes his sister would grudgingly sit at the same table as far away as possible and absorbed in her videogame. It hadn't bothered him at the time because finding new ways to torture Zim had occupied his time. (Remember the muffin incident? Yeah… just remember that muffin. Good times. Good times.) Now with this new chance at a relatively normal life, he didn't want to start as a social outcast on day one.

He looked around the crowded room, seeing the many groups of happy people laughing and fooling around as they ate, and frowned distastefully. Maybe he wasn't that desperate for human companionship. An empty table caught his eye at the far end of the cafeteria near the windows and his eyes lit up as he walked towards the table. It was that mysterious boy from that morning and it looked like he was sitting all by himself. Maybe they could be outcasts together.

"Hey," he greeted as he sat down across from the pale boy. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Yes," the boy answered flatly, sitting hunched over and hugging his lunch towards his chest.

Dib blinked in surprise as he placed his lunch on the scratched surface of the table. "Oh, well I just assumed that you would like some company since you were sitting all alone."

"I don't need your pity," the boy growled, giving him another violet eyed glare.

Dib held his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's not," he said, pulling out his water bottle, "but since you're sitting all alone and all the other tables are filled we might as well sit together."

"You'll get your germs over me," the boy said stiffly, body still tensed in a defensive position.

"What are you, five?" Dib scoffed, taking a sip of his drink. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his feet at the ankles and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "There's plenty of room and I swear I won't bite." He took another sip of his water. "Much," he added with a smirk. "Want a sip?" he asked, offering the bottle to the boy after the boy hadn't stopped looking at it.

"No!" the boy snapped quickly, a flash of fear briefly darting through his eyes. His face pulled down into a frown and he crossed his arms defensively against his narrow chest. "Keep your filthy germs to yourself before I crack open your head and use your brain for experimentation."

Dib laughed, rolling the bottle between his hands. "Ah, a fellow paranormal investigator," he said, secretly pleased that there was another one like him. Maybe they could do research together and explore the stars.

"Something like that," the boy muttered evasively. He twitched, hands fiddling with the edges of his paper bag before he stood up abruptly. "I've had enough of your presence," he said tersely. "Don't come near me again."

Dib watched as once again the mysterious boy stalked away and wondering more about why he was drawn to the prickly male. A small smirk titled up a corner of his mouth as he ate his sandwich and wondering when he would meet the boy again. It looked like he had just found a new interest in his life. Although for some reason, he had the niggling feeling that he had met the boy before. It was time to put his research skills to work, and the first thing he was going to do was find out that boy's name.


	4. IZ Who?

**Disclaimer:** The same as the last couple chapters, I don't own anything.

A/N: Another chapter, hope you like.

Warnings: All warnings still apply. Rating my go up, actually I think I will just for safety's sake.

* * *

**Chapter 3: IZ Who?**

Zim's hands clenched into fists as he stalked down the hallway, shoving people that got into his way although most had given him a wide berth at the expression on his face. The Dib had unsettled him so badly when he had first ran into the human, and Zim hadn't recovered yet. Why had the Dib come to the city? How had the boy found him? And what was he going to do now?

All his plans would be ruined if that Earth monkey found out who he really was. And it was only a matter of time until the boy did; the Dib wasn't stupid. Zim had to grudgingly admit that, as the boy _was _his rival back in his old town, which was precisely the reason why he left. It had taken years for him to get to where he was today, spreading his influence around the skool and wrapping the humans around his finger. He couldn't afford to lose it, and the Dib could undo everything with his blundering ways.

Gritting his teeth, Zim kicked open the front doors of the skool and stomped down the steps. He couldn't concentrate on keeping up his mask with the new factor in his plan and he had to regroup. It wasn't like any of the authoritative human units cared what their students did, and they wouldn't dare go against Zim. He ran the skool with an iron fist and controlled everyone in it. The last human unit who had tried to protest had mysteriously disappeared. (He had used the stink beast for studying brain probes before disassembling it to see how the human body was made up.) No one questioned him after that.

Zim turned down another street, skirting around the stray puddles lying in the road on his way towards his apartment. Although he coated himself with glue daily to avoid getting burned by water, he still had an instinctual aversion to the liquid. Hopefully the Dib hadn't noticed that when he was drinking water at lunch. What was it about the boy that made him lose his carefully controlled emotions?

"It must be the stupidity coming off of him in waves," Zim muttered to himself as he pushed open the metal door to the entrance of his building. Water stains turned the ceiling into a muddy brown color and the carpet of the narrow hallway was threadbare and covered with a thick layer of grime. Zim couldn't repress the shudder that wracked his frame as a cockroach scuttled out of one of the many cracks in the wall to crawl under a warped door. He wished he had his can of disinfectant with him, but he had to leave it at home because it was something that normal humans didn't carry around. He did have a small bottle of hand sanitizer in his back pocket, which made him feel marginally better.

Walking towards the end of the unlit hallway past the rows of tightly closed doors, he made his way down the twisted stairs to the basement where he lived. It was smaller than most of the rooms in the three-story apartment but it was cheap, and that was all that mattered. As he was the only one living in the basement, he had been able to modify the room and add rooms for him to work in his labs miles underground.

A push of a button and the locks were undone and the door swung open where he was assaulted with a Poop Dog commercial blaring from the speakers of the TV. "Gir!" he yelled, kicking the door shut before toeing off his shoes to neatly place them against the wall, "I'm going to my labs."

"You're home!" the robot squealed, popping out of a pile of nachos sitting on the couch in front of the TV. He stuck a handful of chips in his mouth, holding up the plate towards his master. "I made these for you, I thought you were gonna have a bad day."

"How did you know that?" Zim asked suspiciously, trying not to gag at the nauseating smell of greasy cheese that had congealed into a solid mass on the plate. How he hated human food, especially cheese. It looked like the containment goo smeets were surrounded with before they were activated. It was sickening.

"Uh…I dunno!" the robot answered while shrugging his robotic shoulders before giggling at whatever had come on the television.

Zim 'hn'd' as he walked towards his small, but pristinely neat kitchen. There was a small refrigerator and a stove with a couple cupboards lined against one wall. Blue curtains hung against a bricked up window, and a picture of a bowl of fruit hung next to it. A small round table with a single chair sat in the middle of the tiled kitchen with grated cheese left messily on the top when Gir had made nachos.

Zim thought he had done a good job when designing floor plans for his new base, and if anyone were to enter his apartment then they would be none the wiser. Except for the lack of plates and other utensils in the cupboards and food in the refrigerator it looked like any other normal kitchen. Of course the trashcan set next to the counter was actually the lift to get to his labs.

"Gir, don't bother me," Zim ordered, tapping on the trashcan pedal to open the lid and stepping inside. "And if anyone with a big head knocks on the door, I want you to eliminate them." He wouldn't put it past the Dib to try and find out where he was. It was just the way the boy worked, and Zim didn't expect the human to change after all these years.

* * *

Dib was in the skool library during his senior privileges break, head bent over an old book on paranormal sciences. It was an outdated copy, but he had nothing else to do and he really didn't feel like going back to where he lived. It was a rather nice looking apartment his dad had bought him, and Dib would have enjoyed it more if he didn't know his dad only did it to get rid of him. Apparently having a son that was 'insane' didn't do well for the scientist's global image. That and, well, the whole 'gay' thing. Dib really hadn't meant for his dad to walk in on him with The Letter M.

"Such is my life," the boy sighed and closed the book as he tilted back his head to rest against the back of his chair. He closed his eyes, just taking in the quiet of the surprisingly extensive skool library, and as a result he didn't notice the people who had crept up next to him until a book was slammed down against the table.

"Wha-?" Dib exclaimed startled, nearly toppling over in his chair at the unexpected company. His hand automatically reached back towards his pant's pocket where he kept a stun disk that was roughly the size of a quarter. It was a weapon he had invented when he had been trying to unmask Zim. He hadn't been able to try it out before the alien disappeared, but the three kids looming over him might prove useful.

"What do you want?" Dib asked with a touch of annoyance, eyeing the teens that were standing on the other side of the table. Really, he hadn't done anything yet and already bullies were targeting him. Had Zim managed to place a beacon on him for people to ridicule him when he wasn't looking? This was ridiculous.

The tallest of the group, a skinny male wearing a black and red striped shirt and black pants answered. "We're here to warn you to stay away from him," the teen said lowly. "He doesn't take kindly to other people."

"So we're asking you nicely to leave him alone," the girl of the group piped up with kohl-lined eyes narrowed in a glare. Dib couldn't help but notice the girl was dressed a lot like his sister, except she was wearing a dark purple dress with black striped tights. The hair was almost the exact same shade of purple though, and Dib made a note to ask his dad if he had any other children Dib didn't know about. Maybe a clone…?

Dib pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked between the trio and wondering if it was a joke. They looked like the members of a Goth cult wearing entirely too much makeup and a weird striped themed pattern. "Whom are you talking about?"

"IZ," the third one responded, looking exactly like a stereotypical muscular bully with the exception of an emo haircut. Could Dib's life get any better?

"Is what?" Dib asked blankly, slightly annoyed as he picked up his books to leave. He didn't have time for such juvenile pranks. "If this is a 'let's pick on the new kid then'-"

"It's not," the first boy interrupted as he shot out a hand to bar Dib from leaving. "It's more like a welcoming committee to let you in on the rules."

"Sit," the girl commanded, pointing back down to the chair Dib was about to vacate. The sound of knuckles cracking echoed in the deserted library and Dib prudently decided to obey. This girl was almost as scary as his sister and it didn't help that she looked a lot like Gaz.

"As we were saying," the first boy began, lazily propping his hip against the table, "IZ is not a what, but a who. He's our skool President."

"You're asking me to stay away from some nerdy, smart kid?" Dib asked before he could check what he was saying. As a result, he was cuffed upside the head hard enough to see stars dancing at the edges of his vision.

"Hardly," the girl said dryly as she polished black lacquered nails against the front of her shirt. "He runs the skool and makes it a better place, and in return we make sure people don't bother him."

"He likes his privacy," the second male mentioned.

Dib scowled and rubbed his head, looking at the three teens that had surrounded him. "Look, I don't even know who you're talking about. I've just gotten here and I haven't met anyone yet."

"We know," the girl responded with a razor-edge smile. "Which is why this is just a warning, new kid."

"Don't sit with him at lunch again," the taller boy said, patting Dib lightly on the shoulder. "In fact, don't talk to him at all."

"Or you'll be hearing from us," the muscular boy concluded, sending a measured glare at the bewildered boy. "And next time it won't be a warning." There was an unseen motion before the group stood up and walked away, the girl in the lead with the two guys walking on either side of her.

Dib was left staring after the teens as they departed, mouth slightly open in shock as he tried to figure out what just happened. "IZ?" he murmured to himself, thinking about the quiet, violet eyed boy who ran the skool if the bodyguards were any indication of that.

His eyes scanned over a black poster taped to the side of a bookshelf with the words 'IZ' simply printed in crimson script. Just who exactly was this mysterious boy?


	5. Keep Your Friends Close

A/N: Nothing much to say that hasn't already been said in the previous chapters. And to all the questions out there, they shall be anwered in time. Like, a couple chapters from now actually. Sit tight until then.

Oh, and a deleted scene at the end that didn't fit into the flow of this chapter. Gifted to graybird for guessing what the title meant.

Warnings: Still them same, and violence. Did I mention that?

* * *

**Chapter 4: Keep Your Friends Close…**

Zim woke up with a funny feeling the next morning as he got ready for skool. He still hadn't figured out what he was going to do concerning the Dib, which was unacceptable. He had to give his weekly report to his Tallests to update them on his continuing plans on taking over Earth, and if they should find out that he might fail again…

Zim growled and shoved his legs through a pair of red pants, the black straps and chains jingled with each jerky motion. He would not fail this new mission and especially not to someone as pathetic as that human. The last time he had tried to make enemies of the Dib, and that hadn't gone too well. Perhaps if he tried to…befriend, the Dib this time?

"Yes," he murmured to himself, taking out a black and white striped shirt and pulling it on over his head. "I shall do that. I shall befriend the Dib, however great an insult it is to me." He frowned distastefully, imagining being in close proximity with the filthy human and his gargantuan head sprouting such lies. His eye twitched as he remembered how the Dib used to taunt him and ruining his perfectly thought out plans.

"Of course I will not make it easy on the stink beast," he assured. Not with everything he'd been put though. Zim pulled on a black vest with the Irken symbol stitched on the back with red thread before putting on his wig. The last thing put on was a black leather collar, implanted with a custom holo-chip that turned his skin a pale color and gave him a nose. It was one of the first things he'd designed when starting his new plan, and so far as long as he kept it on the illusion was still in place.

Checking himself one last time in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, he pushed open his bedroom door and stalked out the front door. On his way he passed by Gir who was sleeping face down in a plate of cheesy nachos and he rolled his eyes, making a mental note to update Gir's chip. There just wasn't something right with the little robot, and he didn't want the unit to malfunction during a crucial part of his new plan befriending the Dib.

Whistling an idle tune, he walked up the slick stairs of the apartment and past the screams coming from behind the closed hallway doors. When he had more time, he would find a way to shut up the noisy humans, but for now he left them alone. They would make great mindless drones when he took over the world and then he would exact his revenge for keeping him up so late at night with their noises.

He pulled up the hood of his vest as he stepped outside into the chilly air. He would never get used to the Earth temperatures that were always so cold than on his home planet. He had tried to make a device to control the temperatures in an effort to take over the Earth that way, but the plan had backfired somehow. It had taken him ages to thaw out his base when the weather ray had exploded after it had been set at subzero temperatures.

Halfway to skool, Zim could hear the muffled sounds of footsteps behind him. "IZ."

"Paine," Zim answered, not slowing down his pace as he continued walking. "Johnny. Ace," he greeted with the barest inflection in his voice as the three teens caught up with him. "What is it that you need of me?"

"We warned the new kid yesterday," Paine answered, falling into step beside the boy. "He shouldn't be bothering you anymore." Her black-heeled shoes clicked against the pavement as she kept up with IZ's rapid pace.

Zim raised a pale eyebrow, glancing at the girl out of the corner of his eye. She was dressed in dark colors with a striped theme pattern like the other two teens walking behind him. They were part of his disciplinary committee he'd formed when he'd become class president. They kept his laws running smoothly and putting people in their place were they to step out of line. They also kept him updated on inner workings of the skool to keep him formed.

Zim supposed they were useful to his cause, and loyal to a point but sometimes they got ahead of themselves. "Why did you feel the need to do that?" he growled. They were only supposed to follow his orders. They weren't supposed to think for themselves.

"We, we thought that's what you wanted," Johnny stuttered, taking a faltering step as IZ glared at him. The muscular boy bowed his head, readjusting the strap on his backpack. Although he was twice the size of the violet eyes boy and could easily snap the boy in half if he wanted to, he was still afraid of his leader. There was just something in the boy's eyes that screamed 'dangerous' and he didn't want to ever cross that line.

"Do not assume what I want," Zim snapped, annoyed that the humans had probably set him back a couple days with their actions. "I gave you the power to cause fear and further my control over the skool, _not _to think for me."

"Yeah, well maybe if you gave us more directions," Ace muttered sullenly, crossing his arms over his chest. He nearly tripped over his own feet when a hand shot out to wrap around his neck and dragged him down face to face with his leader.

Zim nearly snarled in outrage at such insubordination and his eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the teen. "Remember, I gave you this power," Zim hissed, squeezing Ace's throat, "and I can just as easily take it away." He watched dispassionately as the green haired teen started choking, his mouth opening and shutting soundlessly as he tried to pull in air to his lungs. Zim waited until the boy's eyes started to glaze over in fear and lack of oxygen before shoving the filthy human away from him with distaste.

"Do not cross me," he warned lowly to the three teens, sending a measure glare at the frightened trio before calmly walking away. He could hear the choked gasps coming from Ace followed by a ringing slap but he didn't turn around. It was probably Paine slapping some sense into her teammates and asserting her dominance over the pair. She was a vicious one, which was why he had chosen her as the committee leader. So far she hadn't disappointed him yet.

Still, he mused as he pushed open the doors of the skool, that shouldn't have happened. He should keep a tighter leash on his subordinates so he wouldn't lose control. Because of them, he had probably hurt his chances for befriending the Dib. He wanted the boy to trust him so the human wouldn't become suspicious and poke his big head where it didn't belong. So how was he supposed to do that when the Dib probably feared him now?

Zim didn't have an answer before he rammed into something and was knocked down. "Who did this?" he snapped furiously, angry that he had been knocked over the second day in a row. He gritted his teeth, wishing so badly to destroy something right now, preferably the human that had pushed him over.

" It seems like we're fated to run into each other," Dib commented lightly, settling his glasses on his nose before helping up the smaller boy. "Sorry about that."

"Dib," Zim growled as he pushed back the hood of his vest to see better. He wasn't in the mood for the stupid human at the moment.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning," Dib laughed, brushing off his clothes.

"I did no such thing," Zim answered haughtily. How stupid, as if there was a right and a wrong side to a bed that explained his moods. "I was talking to my subordinates." He tugged his gloves more firmly on his hands before walking off, nearly biting his own tongue in frustration as Dib trailed after him. He would recognize those noisy, clomping footsteps anywhere.

"You call your friends subordinates?" Dib asked interestedly. "Is that what you call me?"

"You are not my friend," Zim snapped, jabbing an elbow into the Dib's stomach when the human was walking too close to him.

"What a pity," Dib wheezed, rubbing a hand over his abdomen. "I'd like to be yours."

"Well I don't!" Zim marched purposely down the hallway, trying to out walk the other boy but failing at it. Curse the stink beast and his long legs. "And stop following me."

"Is that why you set your 'subordinates' on me?" Dib asked, ignoring IZ's second comment as he skirted around a group of freshmen. "To warn me away from you?"

Zim gave an inaudible sigh and stopped walking when he realized the Dib wasn't going to leave him alone. He leaned against a row of lockers, crossing his arms in front of him as he regarded the boy coolly. "That was not my command. Sometimes they can get a little… enthusiastic when serving me."

"You can say that again," Dib muttered, rubbing the back of his head where he'd been slapped yesterday. It still sort of hurt. "So, you really are the class president," he said thoughtfully. "You don't really look like it."

Zim bristled at the comment, clenching his hands into fists. "What's that supposed to mean, you filthy monkey?" he snapped.

Dib lifted one shoulder in a shrug, as he looked the boy up and down. "Nothing insulting. They're just usually a preppy, high-spirited person that everyone loves to hate. Or they could be totally idiots." He remembered the last class president at his old skool and shuddered. Damn that Willy. "You don't look like either."

Actually, the boy looked like a typical hi-skool apathetic Goth kid. He made anorexic kids look fat and didn't look like he could be in control of an entire skool. Of course, looks could be deceiving and he had underestimated people before based on their appearances. Zim hadn't looked like much, and well, actually he wasn't much. But there were a few instances of brilliance that had surprised him and had almost doomed the Earth.

"Humph, well it shows how much _you _know," Zim said sullenly, miffed that the Dib hadn't seen him as a threat. How dare that Earth monkey? Zim was a major threat to the Earth; humans should fear him as they watched doom fall down upon them.

"Wait," Dib said, catching the IZ's arm as the boy turned to go. "What I meant was that I think it's pretty cool."

"And what, you want to be my _friend_?" Zim sneered, jerking out of the boy's grasp. How he _hated _physical contact, and his arm was tingling from where the Dib had touched him. The filthy human had better not have transferred some sort of disease to him, oh how the Dib would pay if he did.

"Well, yeah," Dib answered with a crooked grin. "Perhaps we could rule the skool together."

Zim had to bite back the retort that he didn't need _anyone's _help with taking over anything. Yet, isn't this what he wanted? To get the Dib to trust him so they could become, ugh, friends? Zim tapped his booted foot against the tiled floor as he pretend to mull over the idea. "Fine," he snapped as he walked towards his first class. Oh how he _hated_ the Dib.

"Great." Dib beamed as he trailed after the other boy.

"Quit following me," Zim growled. "Don't you have a class to go to?"

"I'm not," Dib said amused. "I believe we have the same English class, oh friend of mine." He flung an arm around the boy's narrow shoulders in a companionable embrace, ignoring the muttered obscenities under the boy's breath. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, IZ."

"I don't think so." Zim shoved the Dib down the flight of stairs they'd just walked up to the second floor, the startled yelps as the human bounced down the steps greatly improved his soured mood. He whistled as he walked into the class, sitting in the farthest corner of the classroom and propping his feet on the seat of the chair in front of him.

Just because he had grudgingly decided to befriend the Dib didn't mean he'd be nice about it.

* * *

_Deleted scene:_

Dib was about to commit homicide as the person to his right kept chatting on about the skool and where his classes were located, who to avoid and which teacher graded the hardest. Her perky voice was grating on his nerves, and Dib vaguely wondered if his sister felt like this when he went on about paranormal stuff. He wasn't this annoying, was he? Man, no wonder Gaz always scowled when he was around. He had just found some newly acquired respect for his little sister.

"What's that?" Dib asked, pointing to a black and red sign taped to the wall. He wasn't really interested in the sign, but it derailed his 'student guide's' train of thought from her endless chatter about the winning streak the skool's football team was on. As if he was interested in that.

The blond girl (Darcy, was her name?) blinked, trying to switch topics from talking about the jocks on the varsity team to the sign the new kid Dib had gestured to. "Oh, that's our skool president," she answered, a faint chill running down her spine as she looked at the creepy handwriting.

"Their name is IZ?" Dib asked in a condescending tone as he read the sign. "Seems kind of pretentious."

"He's amazing," the girl gushed, clasping her hands together by her side. "No one really knows much about him or where he came from." She giggled and winked up at him. "But he's handsome. I've never seen someone with purple eyes before."

Instantly Dib's mind snapped back to the boy from earlier with the startlingly violet eyes. Could it be the same person? "Is he about this high?" Dib asked, raising a hand to about his shoulder level. "Dark hair and insanely skinny, dresses in red and black?"

The girl giggled again tapping a finger to her nose. "Yeah, he's our skool President. He keeps to himself and is pretty quiet."

"A social outcast?" Dib wondered, tuning out the girl's chatter as he thought. Perhaps they could be friends...


	6. Knowing Thy Enemy

**Disclaimer: **Same as before. Don't know why it would change now.

A/N: Nothing new to add.

Warnings: Hmm, I think they're still the same.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Knowing Thy Enemy**

IZ was…well; IZ was violent, Dib concluded as he stared at the pale boy across the room. He'd been friends with the boy for a week and that was the only solid conclusion he could draw about the walking enigma. He didn't really know much beyond the boy's intense distain for most people and that he wore a lot of red and black. He didn't even know IZ's surname. (Or even if IZ really _was _his first name.)

It was always get up, somehow ram into the poor boy before first bell, walk to class together (but sit at opposite ends of the room), have lunch and then part their separate ways never to see each other again until the next morning. The only thing breaking up the continuity was when IZ threw a random insult at him in a rough, quiet tone or pushed him into something. (Last time had been a trashcan filled with fish paste and salad from lunch. He had to throw away his favorite shirt because he couldn't get the smell out of it.)

Maybe the boy was just shy, Dib was the one that did most of the talking while the other boy just scowled and nodded with whatever he was saying. It must be the public persona the boy had to keep up so he wouldn't lose face as skool president. Dib had heard the rumors concerning the boy. Ruthless. Cold. A genius. Powerful. The only thing he'd seen that was true was the genius bit. Some of the mechanical devices IZ had shown him upon occasion were amazing. He hadn't met another person who could invent like that. It gave him hope that maybe the boy _would_ like to help explore paranormal science. The boy hadn't seemed adverse to it when he'd been discussing it.

A book slammed onto the table and Dib looked up startled into IZ's scowling face. "Class is over," the boy said flatly. "Walk me to lunch." Dib's mouth curved up in a small smile as he watched IZ march away with his nose in the air.

"Yes, master," Dib teased, slipping his pen in his back pocket before gathering up his textbooks. "Shall I kiss the ground you walk upon too?"

IZ waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and once again Dib's eyes were drawn to the three-fingered hands. He'd only known of one person, well alien, who had hands like that but surely IZ wasn't Zim. The boy was too different, calmer and more rational. Not to mention he didn't have green skin. Dib hand brushed his hand against the boy's cheek as a pretense to brush IZ's long bangs behind his ear, and his fingers hadn't come away with makeup or some other type of covering. He_ did _get a black eye for touching IZ. The boy had physical issues and didn't like to be touched.

"Hey IZ, can I ask you something?" Dib asked, plopping down in his usual seat across the cafeteria table from the boy.

"You already did," IZ muttered while pulling out his can of soda from his lunch bag. It was the only thing he ate beside a bag of chips and Dib always wondered how the boy stayed so thin.

"What happened to your hands?" Dib knew he could have phrased that in a more tactful way when IZ froze up, almost unnoticeable to anyone else who hadn't been studying the boy as long as he had.

IZ slammed his hands down on the table as he got up. "Don't talk to me," he said acidly as he turned to go.

"Shit, no wait!" Dib called after him, snagging onto the end of IZ's black and red striped scarf. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"Well what did you mean, monkey?" IZ spat, hands curled into fists that made Dib want to take a step back. He didn't _think_ the boy would hit him, but he never knew… "It seems all you do is open your fat mouth and insult me," the pale boy continued, jabbing a finger in the air. "That does not seem the way of friends."

Dib looked around nervously at the attention they were gathering, particularly IZ's trio in the corner that were promising nasty things with their eyes if he did anything to their president. "Uh, let's take this somewhere else," Dib said prudently, loosely gripping the boy's slender wrist and dragging him out the back doors of the skool.

He could feel IZ's gaze burning a hole through the back of his neck, and Dib was praying that the boy wasn't planning his instant demise. He knew the boy despised all types of physical contact and practically dragging IZ by the wrist wasn't winning him any points in the friend's department.

"What are you doing?" IZ demanded coldly as soon as the doors closed behind them. Dib hastily dropped his hand at the look he was receiving. Right. No touching.

"Okay, so I know you're mad at me-" a bag of chips was thrown at his head and Dib quickly ducked, "and my sister is always saying how tactless I am when it comes to conversation-" a half-full can of Poop soda came next, "so that was uncalled for." Dib wasn't able to dodge the fallen tree branch the boy had thrown and it nearly knocked the wind out of him as he hit the ground. "I was just-"

"Curious," IZ said flatly, pressing a booted foot to Dib's chest. "Just like everyone else."

Dib wheezed at the pressure on his chest as IZ leaned his weight on his foot, it didn't hurt per se, but the boy was a lot heavier than he looked. "Uh, yeah," he nodded, looking up at the irate boy though his crooked glasses. "I'm a scientist, you know how curious we are."

"I know exactly how you are," IZ hissed, placing his feet on either side of Dib's torso before crouching over the prone form. He shoved his hand right into Dib's face, his palm about an inch in front of the boy's nose.

"They were amputated," IZ said stiffly, wiggling his three digits before Dib. "I got them caught in a meat grinder during one of my experiments. Does _that _satisfy your curiosity?"

Dib gulped, imagining the crunch of bones being ground together and the hot spray of blood running down pale hands, and he shuddered. It wasn't a pleasant image and he couldn't imagine the pain IZ must have gone through. "Uh…sorry," he said inadequately.

"You apologize too much." IZ got off his chest, crossing his arms in front of him as he leaned against the tree. "It's pathetic."

"Sor-" Dib broke off at the warning glare he received and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He hadn't been that good with making friends, much less keeping them, and IZ was a hard one to figure out. He always felt like he had to choose his words carefully lest the boy turn the full force of his anger upon him. He had a small idea of the power IZ controlled, and he didn't doubt that the boy was capable of many things. Like murdering him in plain sight and hiding his body somewhere to rot while the rats gnawed on his sightless eyes. Dib shivered, sometimes his own mind scared himself.

Pushing himself off the ground, he brushed dirt off the back of his pants as he tried to think of something that wouldn't get the boy angry. It looked like at any second IZ would just get up and walk away from his without a second glance, which was something Dib didn't want happening. IZ was his only friend, well he assumed they were friends, and he hadn't put much effort into getting to know other students. What was the point? They were all exactly the same when it came down to it and nothing they could say would interest him.

"Hey," Dib called out to IZ when the boy was walking back towards the skool, "would you like to come over my place?"

IZ froze and turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. "Why?" he asked suspiciously, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Uh…" Well, he hadn't really thought that far when he had issued the question. His mouth really had to stop talking before his brain caught up with it or he'd look like even more of a loser to IZ. "Mysterious Mysteries is on, thought you'd like to watch it with me."

IZ looked at him shrewdly, his lips pressed into a thin line as he thought. "What makes you think I'd want to do anything with you?"

Ouch. If Dib didn't know any better he'd say IZ didn't like him. "I thought we were friends." He was pretty sure this was true since they'd been within the same area of each other for a week. One of the few things he'd found out about the boy was that IZ wasn't unpopular but antisocial. Dib didn't know what he did to make the other boy tolerate him, but he hoped he didn't screw it up. Intelligent life forms were so hard to come by.

IZ muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'Keef' before he rolled his eyes. "Fine," he spat out, although with a lot less venom than he gave most people. "I shall come to your…dwelling to watch the TV with you."

"Great," Dib answered, but IZ had already stalked away by then just as the bell signaling lunch was over rang. "Now I just have to go and buy a TV," he muttered to himself as he headed back inside. "Perfect."

--

"Stupid, stupid _hideous _worm baby with his _prodding _and his filthy head filled with--ARRGH!" Zim broke off in a snarl as he stomped down the hallway towards his next class. What was the Dib thinking? Wasn't it enough that he had agreed to let the monkey talk to him and allow the boy to sit near him during the lunch class? And now the human wanted to…socialize, outside of skool? If he didn't know any better, he'd say the Dib was starting to act like another Keef.

Zim shuddered, just thinking of that filthy human that wouldn't leave him alone. At least the boy got what was coming to him. Maybe he should do the same thing to the Dib? Zim tapped a finger against his chin in thought before shaking his head. No, that wouldn't work. The Dib wouldn't take a gift from him and he wasn't going to waste his precious, _valuable _time on that disgusting human.

Besides, Zim mused as he sat in his usual spot in the back of his class, it could prove useful. He had never gotten a good look at the Dib's old dwelling center, and he could pinpoint all the weak spots in the new one. Maybe he could even plant a couple spy bots to keep tabs on the human since Zim was so _incredible_ with things like stealth.

He nodded to himself, tapping his fingers atop the worn surface of the desk as he thought. It would also be useful to get to know the human himself and find out the Dib's weak points to prey on them later. He just had to be careful about what information he gave away to the human. The Dib was smarter than most, and it had caught him off guard that the stink beast would notice his fingers. Most hadn't bothered asking him, and he'd almost forgotten his cover up story in surprise. He shouldn't have been so unsettled around the Dib; he was just a simple _human _after all.

Zim slouched down further in his seat, taking out a beat up notebook in the pretext of 'studying' as he thought about what he was going to do after skool. He had never been over someone's house before, although he had been invited to many before he made it clear he didn't care for any of his 'classmates.' His subordinates did have their uses. Still, Zim wasn't exactly sure of the correct procedures when going to a 'friend's' house because he hadn't thought it worthy for him to study.

Zim just hoped he didn't have to bring flowers.


	7. Intruder

**Disclaimer:** Same.

A/N: I find it funny that most of the questions asked are answered in the upcoming chapters. (As I've written a fair amount but post one chapter at a time.) Hopefully this answers some of them, but I don't mind the questions. They keep me on my toes and make sure I'm not overlooking things. Enjoy.

Warnings: Nothing new.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Intruder**

"This was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done," Dib muttered to himself as he struggled to carry the huge flat screen TV he'd just bought up his apartment stairs. The elevator wasn't working and of course he had to buy the loft apartment on the top floor. "Why didn't I ask him to go see a movie, or hang out somewhere around town? Noooo, I just had to invite him back to my apartment," Dib panted as he leaned against the wall to readjust his grip on the box. "I haven't even gotten around to setting up my bedroom. I'm sure that'll impress IZ."

He'd been living out of boxes since he had moved a couple weeks ago, not interested in unpacking now that he lived by himself and could concentrate on other things. He had spent two weeks tampering with the massive skylight so the entire roof slid back with a click of a button to reveal the night sky before stocking his kitchen with food. That was fine with him because Bloaty's Pizza delivered and he had them on speed dial.

Dib sighed in relief as he reached the landing, setting down the heavy box beside his door as he fished out his keys from his back pocket. Sliding the key in the lock, he was surprised to find the door noiselessly swing open as soon as he gripped the doorknob. He was on alert immediately as he knew he had locked his door with custom made locks he'd designed himself. No one should have been able to get in, at least not a person…

Two electro-shock discs slid out of his wrist sheathe and gripped between his fingers as he crouched down, years of hunting down paranormal creatures honing his senses as he soundlessly entered the darkened room. _Where are you, alien scum?_ Dib wondered, wishing he had on his night-vision goggles as he scanned the first floor. A faint noise came from his left and he sprang into action, launching himself at the figure and taking them both to the ground.

"What are you doing invading my home?" Dib yelled while trying to see who the figure was as they rolled around on the floor. They knocked into the walls and against the sparse furniture as each one tried to get the upper hand before Dib finally pinned the other to the floor, an electro-shock disc pressing into the figure's neck.

"Have you gone crazy?" the figure screeched as they struggled under him. "Get off me before I disembowel you!"

"IZ?" Dib asked incredulously as he tried to stare down at the boy though the dark.

"Who did you think it was?" IZ snapped.

"Uh." Dib leaned back, his disc sliding back into the sheath with a flick of his wrist. "Lights on," he commanded and the next second fluorescent white light was flooding the loft to reveal he had pinned down IZ and not an alien like he had thought.

The boy looked pissed off as he glared at Dib through messy hair, his clothes wrinkled and torn in places. "Did you bring me flowers?" Dib asked stupidly, noticing the limp green stems clenched in one gloved hand and the mess of white and blue petals that littered the hardwood floor around them.

"I should have brought a bat to dent your big head in," IZ growled as he pushed on Dib's shoulders. "Now get off me before you squish my organs."

Dib flushed in embarrassment, feeling like an idiot as he scrambled to his feet and offered the boy a hand up. Like before, the boy ignored it and shakily stood up on his own before trying to straighten out his clothes. "Uh, thanks I guess," Dib said as he plucked a blue petal off the front of his shirt. "Do you, need an ice pack or something?" It looked like there was a nasty discoloration decorating IZ's jaw where he'd slammed the boy against the wall before pinning him to the floor.

"Not for me." IZ just looked at him with a hard look in his eyes as he brushed past Dib.

Dib let out a chuff of air as he was socked in the stomach when IZ walked by him to plop down on the leather couch. "Well, where's the TV box?" he demanded as he propped his booted feet up on a cardboard box labeled 'fragile.'

"Outside," Dib wheezed, walking slightly hunched over as he dragged the TV inside and shut the door with his foot. "I skipped last period to go out and buy one. I didn't expect you to be this early."

"You said to come after skool." The boy looked at him with mild annoyance as gloved fingers tapped on the arm of the couch. "It's a wonder you haven't made any friends if you attack them when you invite them over."

Dib watched as the boy brushed a hand over his jaw that had rapidly turned a purplish/black color and felt a tinge of embarrassment. "I thought you were an intruder," he said feebly. "No one should have gotten in, but I guess my locks weren't working properly."

"Your door was open so I walked in," IZ said defensively at the questioning tone in Dib's voice. Before the boy could respond he waved his hand in the air towards the kitchenette. "Actually, go get me something to put on this bruise. And you better not have marred my skin permanently."

The last was said with a warning and Dib nearly tripped over the TV box in his haste to get an ice pack. "Right, be right back," he said awkwardly, praying that there was something in his freezer he could give IZ to make the swelling go down. "Just…make yourself at home or something."

Zim watched him go with narrowed eyes, leaning farther back in the couch. Truthfully, he was fine as Irkens were able to stand large amounts of pain. It was why they were so successful as invaders after all. He just didn't want the earth monkey to question about how he'd gotten in because the Dib's door _had _been locked. Of course it was mere smeet's play to get the voice automated locks undone. He was Zim after all.

He hadn't anticipated the boy returning to his dwelling so early and had only gotten to explore part of the first floor. There hadn't been any traps Zim could see, but he hadn't been able to get a good look. The Dib had ambushed him before he could get even one spy bot embedded into the walls. The Dib's reflexes were better than the last time they had fought and he was much stronger.

Zim had to concentrate to stop himself from gnashing his teeth together in annoyance. It seemed this new Dib was even more of an annoyance than before with his stupid height and advanced strength. Irkens were better known for their intelligence than their brawn, they weren't designed for brute force, which was why most of their attacks came from their PAKs.

Fear was always an excellent way to make anyone submissive without using force, and it was something Zim had done immediately upon entering the new skool. When fear wasn't enough, he had other people to do his bidding and provide the physical force. So far threats and mild violence had worked on the Dib to keep him in line, but if it came to much more then Zim would have to think of something else. He couldn't use his PAK unless he wanted his cover to be blown.

"Stupid filthy Earth monkey," Zim muttered crossly as he clenched his hand into a fist. It seemed no matter what the Dib was always a huge problem in his plans. Why couldn't he have gotten his gargantuan head stuck in a wood chipper and saved Zim the trouble of dealing with the boy? Humans were nothing but selfish creatures that deserved to be destroyed.

"Hey IZ."

Zim looked up towards the kitchen where the Dib was standing in the doorway. The boy tossed something in his direction and Zim automatically snatched the object out of the air. "Tuna?" he asked incredulously as he flipped over the cold metal can to read the label. "I asked for no snack."

"Yeah, I found it in my freezer," Dib said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't have any ice but I think this will do just as fine."

Zim had to resist the impulse to roll his eyes. It was a nasty habit he'd picked up from observing the humans and what his 'classmates' had done a lot to display their annoyance. Zim just hoped he hadn't picked up any more of their filthy mannerisms.

"Your parental units are slacking," Zim muttered as he distastefully set the can of tuna down next to him on the couch. Gir always had something in his refrigerator box when Zim came home from skool. Whether it was edible or not was another story and most of the time Zim would have to kill whatever concoction Gir cooked up. Although the pasta monster was useful since it ate the rats in his apartment.

The Dib gave a curious little noise as he shrugged and pulled the TV box towards where Zim was sitting. "I live alone," he said simply.

Zim cocked his head to the side as he nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't seen any other boxes that indicated another person lived with the Dib. "Did you kill them?"

Dib gave a short bark of laughter as he pulled open the box and Zim frowned. He didn't think he had said anything funny. On many of the planets the Irken Empire had conquered, the young killed the old when they were no longer of service. The Dib's scary sister could have just been a causality of that.

"No," Dib answered as he rummaged around the packaging popcorn to pull out the instructions, "my dad and sister still live in my old house. I moved here when I was emancipated. Trouble at home." He shrugged and Zim didn't press the issue.

Instead Zim mulled over the information, content to let the boy slave away trying to set up the TV and cursing every so often when he was shocked. If the Dib really did live alone then that made spying on the boy easier. Zim wouldn't have to worry about others getting in his way or inadvertently discovering some of his traps. It also meant he would be able to relax a little with only having one person possibly know his former identity. Gaz would have probably picked up his disguise on sight although she wouldn't have said anything. Still, it was something Zim didn't want to deal with.

"Ow! Dammit!" Dib cursed and Zim was amused to see the boy shaking out his hand as the remote clattered to the hard wood floor. It seemed the boy had shocked himself again while setting up the TV. It looked like the pathetic human was about to throw out the TV set and Zim casually picked up the remote and pressed the 'on' button.

"It looks like you're useful for something after all," Zim said as a commercial for aspirin flickered on the giant screen that was mounted to the wall.

Dib smiled wryly as he pushed the box away to sit down on the seat next to Zim. "That's always good to know, I wouldn't want to bore you."

Zim smirked to himself, a gleeful laugh barely contained. Oh no, the Dib wasn't going to bore him at all. This would be the perfect opportunity to learn about the human's weaknesses and then gloat as he tore the boy apart.

In the meantime he had to content himself with throwing the can of half-frozen tuna at the Dib's head. "Go get me some snacks," he ordered as the opening credits for 'Mysterious Mysteries' came on. He heard the human grumble but get up off the couch and head towards the kitchen and Zim settled himself further in the comfortable cushions with visions of utter destruction in his head.

He could hardly wait.


End file.
